Adverse weather, pest may affect mango yield in Andhra this year

Mango, one of the top five crops of the region, has been badly affected for the past three years.
File photo of mangoes at a market
File photo of mangoes at a market

VISAKHAPATNAM: With adverse weather conditions prevailing, the king of fruits might become dearer to the mango lovers in the ensuing season. With extreme weather conditions, severe cold and fog in the nights and high temperatures during the day, powdery mildew and anthracnose are affecting mango flowers and tender mango pods in the north coastal districts.

Mango is one of the top five crops in the region which has been badly affected for the past three years. Due to adverse weather conditions, a large extent of mango crop is being severely damaged at flowering and pods stages. For the past three years, the mango farmers incurred a loss and this year seems to be no different with heavy widespread fog.

Popular mango varieties like Suvarna Rekha, Banginapalli,  Cherukurasaalu, Pariay and Vizianagaram brand Panukulu are the famous popular varieties in the region. Mango crop is being cultivated in nearly 1.6 lakh acres in the three districts — 1.10 lakh acres in Vizianagaram, 22,000 acres in Srikakulam and 25,000 acres in Visakhapatnam districts.

Vizianagaram town is the hub from where mangoes are exported to New Delhi, West Bengal-Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Utter Pradesh by rail and road networks.

Meanwhile, the Horticulture department has started a campaign across the three districts to conserve the crop. The horticulturists are advising the farmers and also visiting the fields to assess the seriousness of the damage. The officials in Vizianagaram found that this year Suvarnareka and Panukulu are affected by pests.

In normal conditions, the yield will be nine to 10 tonnes of mango per acre. However, over 30 per cent of the yield will be damaged with the border, old practices of packing and transportation delays.

The Horticulture department has been providing plastic bags for export of mangoes to avoid gunny bags. However, this time in the flowering stage itself, the flower has withered and fallen off on large scale.

“Though we are using prescribed pesticides, they are not effective. We have witnessed flowering in November last week and hoped that this time we will get good returns. We are cultivating the Panukulu since it is the early yielding variety. However, even in the second week of February, the cool weather and fog dashed our hopes,” lamented G Thavitinaidu, a mango farmer of Tagarapuvalasa.

This year, senior farmers and exporters opine that 30-40 percent of the production will be affected this year. However, the Horticulture department officials say that fruit of the varieties like Suvarnarekha, Banginapalli, Cherakurasalu and Pariya is appearing in March and with the increasing temperatures those varieties could be safe. But the Panukulu is damaged in adverse conditions, the horticulture department officials said.

“Every year, depending upon the demand from the farmers and traders we are arranging 35 and above rakes to transport the mango from Vizianagaram railway station to New Delhi and other states. The farmers and traders, earlier on several occasions demanded and staged protests seeking more rakes. On several occasions, we have arranged more than 42 rakes. However, such a demand was not there  for the last two seasons,” said a senior official of East Coast Railway.

One rake consists 42 wagons and each rake carries over 30 tonnes. The traders also use surface transport for export of mangoes.

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